Chicken Saag (Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry)

Quick and easy, this is the fastest curry you'll ever make from scratch. It's healthy and delicious with a flavor bomb of spices.

Serves: 8-12

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Source: Mission Food https://mission-food.com/chicken-saag/

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 ½ teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon Indian chili powder or cayenne pepper or to taste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup water

8 ounces spinach, washed and dried

1 pound chicken breast or tenders cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ cup plain yogurt preferably thick Greek-style yogurt

Method:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (if you plan to double the recipe, definitely use a pot instead of a skillet so you have room for all the spinach!). Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, and lowering heat to medium-low if it starts to brown too quickly.

• Over medium heat, add the salt, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and chili powder, and stir on medium-low heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so. Dissolve the tomato paste in the water by stirring vigorously together in a measuring cup or bowl. Then stir into the spices in the pan, creating a thick spiced sauce, about 1 minute.

• Add the spinach and gently stir to combine, as the skillet will be very full. Cover and raise the heat to medium-high, allowing the spinach to start to wilt. Occasionally remove the lid, stir, and then cover again until most the spinach has begun to wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes (can depend on the size of your spinach leaves). Remove the lid and finish stirring the spinach until it is completely wilted but still bright green, another minute.

• Transfer spinach mixture to a blender and puree until relatively smooth but still a bit chunky (you don’t want it to be super smooth, a bit of texture is good). Taste and adjust salt and spice if necessary.

• Meanwhile, wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, return it to medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the cubed chicken pieces, sprinkle salt over the top to season, and cook until almost completely cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the spinach mixture back over the chicken, using a rubber spatula to get every last bit out of the blender, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the chicken to finish cooking. Stir in the yogurt, and serve immediately with basmati rice and/or naan.

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1504mg | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g